Happy Days are here again!

Othello is over! Yay! Nothing against the Bard, but I'd much rather read his sonnets or his comedies than his tragedies.

Quite honestly, I'd much rather read ANYTHING than a tragedy. My husband always gets annoyed because I don't want to go to the movies or watch things on TV. Partly, that's because if I have two free hours I'd much rather spend them reading than watching someone else's interpretation of something. But even more than that, so much of what he wants to watch is just plain depressing.

I know I'm far too sensitive for my own good. I've always been that way, hence the reason I've never watched much TV. I mean, my mom had to stop me watching Captain Kangeroo because I got so upset I got nightmares after watching him get picked on. I seriously, seriously cannot stand bullying--emotionally or physically or even psychologically. When I see abuse of any sort it completely floors me for DAYS. I mean weeks and weeks I think about things and get upset.

Maybe that's why I became a writer in the first place. As a child I needed to create a world where I could control who got hurt and who didn't. The bad guys always lose and the good guy always gets the girl.

Reality is overrated. . .

Screw Othello

I've been working days lately subbing for a co-worker whose wife had a baby last week. For the Shakespear class we're studying Othello. Once we finished the play we watched the movie (in time period with the original lyric screen play). And today we watched a modern adaptation called "O" It is extremely well done, very, very similar except it appeals to younger viewers.

That being said, I'm ready to binge on Disney movies!!!! Jumping Jiminy but I'm so bummed out by all this drama and tragedy I want to vomit!!!

Where's the happy ending? Where does the bad guy get what's coming to him and the good guy gets the girl??? I want to rewrite this so very badly! ACK!!!

I am so not cut out for tragedy. No wonder I write romance, at least in my books the bad guy always loses and the hero and heroine don't end up dead.

Screw Shakespear, I'm going to read a Susan Brockman book. . .

Procrastination. . .

I have been a very bad blogger lately. Not only haven't I looked at anyone else's blogs, I haven't touched my own.

At first I was SERIOUSLY too busy. I'm still way too busy, but I've realized in the time it takes me to lose spider solitaire twice I could have at least let people know I was still alive.

Anyway, after I decided I did have time to blog, Blogger was down when I finally got onto the site. The opportunity to get on again didn't come until a few days later. . .

I haven't just been slacking in the blog department, I've been slacking in the house cleaning and promo departments too.

I have a release coming out in October (SURPRISE) a print book coming out in October (SPITFIRE) and another book coming out in November (CONVINCE ME) have I done SQUAT about them?
Nope.

I know I sometimes come across like I'm Super Woman, managing the kids, the house, writing, working, and running around like a lunatic but sometimes it just catches up to me and I want nothing more than to sit down and play endless losing games of spider solitaire.

I think I'm probably still in the middle of one of those times. It doesn't help that I've caught a cold to go along with my apathy. Coughing and hacking doesn't really motivate me to get on line and post perky messages.

And honestly, no one wants to hear me whine EVEN MORE THAN NORMAL!

Things will slow down soon. . .sort of. . .a little. . .maybe
Well, one can hope.
In the meantime, please don't desert me!!
Ari, the slacker

Learning something new every day

Last week my friend Summer Devon and I started teaching an online workshop about adding heat to your manuscript. We came up with all sorts of ideas and assignments and even developed a syllabus and lesson plans.

While I was trying to make a coherent lesson I realized that I don't know HOW I do what I do, I just do it. It's like trying to explain walking. I really had to go in and look at my editors' comments and think about what I've done in the past to make my erotic romance manuscripts hotter. Doing this has really given me some insight as to what I'm doing and what more I can do to help my manuscripts be hotter, more emotional, and more descriptive.

By explaining things to others, I'm teaching myself too. It's been a fascinating lesson for me so far. I can see where I've made mistakes and where I could improve, not to mention what I can do in my next book.

I've been a teacher for 14 years, and I always knew you could learn a lot from your students, but now I'm actually applying that learning and it's fantastic.

Now, if someone could just ask me to teach a class about weight loss so I could apply that too. . .

Not meant for fashion

Yesterday, I spent all day long hiking up my jeans to keep from showing the world my underwear. It's not that I'm so skinny my jeans no longer fit me. Quite the contrary, actually. Remember how proud I was when I lost those 20 pounds? Pride goeth before the fall. . . I've put them all back on. Sigh. . .

Anyway, I digress. As I was hauling my jeans up I realized my body type just isn't cut out for today's fashions. Although I'm thrilled that cropped tops are no longer in style, the low waisted jeans haven't quite left yet.

This is my problem,
1. I'm tall
2. almost all my height is in my legs
3. I carry my weight in my stomach

Basically I'm built like an apple on top of two carrot sticks. Are you beginning to see my problem here? Low waisted pants need to sit on hips to stay up. I have a boy's hips and butt so my pants, which tend to slide below my rounded belly, have nothing to hang onto so they slide down all day long.
Picture trying to tie a ribbon around an apple as opposed to around a pear and you get my picture.

At least with the longer tops in style I can hid the fact that my underwear is sticking out. . .

Doing the right thing

How come doing the right thing is always so much less fun than doing the wrong thing?

I mean, seriously, think about it.

Food that is unhealthy and will clog your arteries just by smelling it, always tastes better than food that's good for you.

Sitting on the couch or in front of the computer is much more fun than exercising.

Blog hopping and chatting on IM is much more fun than working.

And letting the kids watch TV when you should be doing crafts or making them go outside to play is SOOO much easier than fighting to drag them away from the boob tube.

If life was fair (yeah yeah, I know it isn't. Sue me, it's a blog) potato chips and bacon dip would lower cholesterol, IMing would count as aerobic exercise, and you wouldn't be tortured by the idea that being a lazy parent could bite you in the ass twenty years from now.

I mean come on, if you read all the parents' magazines and listen to the news it's enough to make you pull your hair out. I swear, it makes you feel like if you let your kids watch too much TV they'll either live with you until they're 40 or they'll end up on a water tower with an Uzi.

So, today after I fight with the girls to get their homework done, and give them a healthy snack, I'll go outside with them and play instead of iming with my buds. But inside, I'll be wishing we were eating Doritos and sour cream in front of the TV. . .

To Blog or not to Blog

It's 9/11
My sister is in the army
I was a firefighter/EMT
My husband still is a firefighter
Several of my friends live in NYC and the surrounding areas.

Do I blog about 9/11/01?

I still have a hard time remembering that day without getting anxious or choked up. I deal with it by flying my American flag, wearing red, whit, and blue and telling my daughters that it's important to remember the brave emergency personnel and people who died that day. I try not to scare them but just tell them to remember the families of those who died in their prayers.

My husband watches all the news coverage non-stop.
I shut off all TV and radio today.

On 9/11/01 I was pregnant with my third child. My father was in Chicago and my husband was on his way to NYC for his new job. The weekend before, we went to our friends' house on Long Island, on the way we were stuck in traffic and pointed out the Twin Towers to the girls. We could see them from the bridge because they stood out on the sky line.

I remember being in the car on the way to my mother's when everything happened. My mom couldn't get in touch with my dad and I couldn't get in touch with my husband because all the cell service had been shut down.

Just remembering it makes my heart race and hands shake all over again.

I have no idea how people who lost loved ones in NY, PA, or D.C. handle this day.

As I stood outside and waited for the bus with my oldest two daughters, I looked up into the beautiful, cloudless, blue sky and thought about how it was a clear day that day too.

My heartfelt prayers go out to all of those touched by 9/11
I hope we never forget the sacrifices made that day.

But for me, I'm going to kiss my family and thank God I still have them, and try to forget. . .

Random Thoughts

I seem to get all these great ideas for what to blog about when I'm no where near a computer. Usually I'm in the shower or in the car and a random thought will pop into my head and my first thought it "I have to blog about this!"

By the time I actually get to a computer, my mind is a total blank.

Today I was in line at Dunkin Donuts feeding my latest addiction and I thought about blogging about it. I mean, I'm not a coffee drinker, my caffeine of choice is Diet Coke which I drink by the gallon. But somehow I've gotten completely addicted to the Caramel Swirl Iced Lattes at DD. Totally addicted.

And apparently, I'm not the only one.

The line for the drive through was halfway out onto the street, and most of the cars in line were mini vans, SUVs and station wagons. As I watched the soccer mom parade going through the drive through, I thought DD should give discounts to moms. If you go through with one kid in the car you get X % off, if you go through with a carload of screaming children, you get Y% off, and if you have kids in the car and you're pregnant, your order is free!

There's probably a very good reason I don't work in retail. . .

Have a great weekend everyone, I'm off to do some MAJOR edits, oy!

The best laid plans. . .

I had such plans for today.
Great plans.

My middle daughter had recovered from her fever and was headed back to school, my youngest daughter had a play date for 4 entire hours. I had ALONE TIME.

I was going to get up early, exercise, get the kids off to school, run to the store for supper making materials, and then drop my 4 year old off for four hours of writing bliss. . .

I did manage to exercise. And I did go to the store for supper materials. I even got supper started in the crock pot.

Then Miss 4 year old threw up all over my bed.

I now have to wash the comforter, sheets, pillows, and mattress pad.
I also had to cancel the play date.

Instead of immersing myself in my erotic quickie I'm running around taking care of a sick child.

Ah, the glamorous life of a writer. . .

He givith and he taketh away

Sigh, the Lord givith and he taketh away. . .
School started on Wednesday. My two oldest darlings hopped on the bus and I managed to get a ton of things accomplished.

On Thursday I managed to write almost 4,000 words on a new book I'm working on for Ellora's Cave. And today I planned on brainstorming for the on line workshop Kate Rothwell and I are teaching next week.

Unfortunately, a little after midnight my middle daughter woke up with a 102. degree fever. She was up all night long, ergo, so was I.

Two days into school and I already have one home. I've already spent half the morning running for ibuprophen, ginger ale, toast, blankets, pillows, and the all important Brown Teddy.
Writing done?
Zilch
Exercising?
Nadda
Researching?
Zip

Someday I'll get some work done, really.